Islamist group kills Canadian hostage held in the Philippines

The dreaded Islamist group Abu Sayyaf according to reports have killed a Canadian hostage held in the Philippines.

The hostage, Robert Hall was killed on Monday after a deadline for a ransom expired, security sources told Canadian broadcaster CBC and Philippine news website Rappler.

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Reacting to the execution of the Mr. Hall who was kidnapped in September along with three other hostages from Canada, the Philippines and Norway, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he believed it was “likely” that Mr Hall had been killed by his captors.

“It is with deep sadness that I have reason to believe that a Canadian citizen, Robert Hall, held hostage in the Philippines since September 21, 2015, has been killed by his captors,” Mr Trudeau said in a statement.

The hostage was apparently executed after the Islamist group demanded a multi-million dollar ransom which the Philippine and Canadian governments refused to pay.

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